In this definitive biography of MacLeish, the discussion of J. B. presents MacLeish's reasons for writing the play and describes his writing and revising process as he moved from written script to performance.

Arranged in a question-and-answer format, this book was pieced together from several interviews MacLeish granted during the last years of his life. MacLeish considered this book the autobiography of his professional life. His discussion of J. B. focuses on the differences between the published and the performed versions of the play.